Departmental Offices (Rural Areas)

Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation took place prior to the proposals to close some of the Department's offices in rural areas. [101238]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 10 March 2003]: Jobcentre Plus is in consultation with the Countryside Agency at a national level about the impact of the new integrated Jobcentre Plus offices on rural areas. Decisions on closing of old offices and opening of new offices as part of the Jobcentre Plus national rollout are made after careful consideration of the rural impact of those decisions and made with reference to the 'rural proofing' checklist developed by the Countryside Agency.

Employers Liability

Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when he expects the review announced on 27 November on employers liability to be completed; and when he expects that a report will be published; [102376]

(2) what the terms of reference were of the review on employers liability. [102378]

Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 11 March 2003]: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I gave on 12 December 2002, Official Report, columns 2324W.

Employment Statistics

Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people aged 50 and over were not in employment in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002 in (i) Coventry and (ii) the UK. [101189]

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Ruth Kelly [holding answer 10 March 2003]: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 12 March 2003:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about people aged 50 and over who are not in employment. (101189)

The attached tables give the information requested for the three-month period ending November of each year from 1997 to 2002. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are subject to sampling variability from year to year. They are not seasonally adjusted.

Table 1: Percentage of people aged 5059/64(22) who are not in employment; United Kingdom, 1997 to 2002

September to November

Per cent. not seasonally adjusted

1997

35.3

1998

33.6

1999

33.5

2000

32.9

2001

31.9

2002

31.2

(22) Men aged 5064 and women aged 5059.

Note:

These Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates have been adjusted to reflect the 2001 Census results.

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey

Table 2: Percentage of people aged 5059/641 who are not in employment; Coventry local authority district; 1997 to 2002

September to November

Per cent. not seasonally adjusted

1997

32.4

1998

34.3

1999

40.6

2000

36.9

2001

33.3

2002

48.4

(23) Men aged 5064 and women aged 5059.

Note:

These Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates have not yet been adjusted to reflect the 2001 Census results.

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey

New Deal

Sir Archy Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 660W, on the New Deal, if he will make a statement on the difference of outcomes for those leaving the subsidised employment option of the New Deal for Young People and the New Deal 25 plus. [97781]

Mr. Nicholas Brown:
We have not conducted a comparative evaluation of outcomes between the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus. The client groups for the programmes have very different characteristics and the programmes themselves are not identical. People aged between 18 and 24 can join the New Deal for Young People at six months of unemployment. In contrast, individuals are eligible for New Deal 25 plus following a period of 18 months or

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18 out of 21 months of unemployment. As New Deal 25 plus participants have faced longer terms of unemployment, and hence greater barriers to work, fewer job outcomes through subsidised employment are likely.

Up to September 2002 the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus have helped well over half a million people move from benefit and into work. Both programmes are continuing to help significant numbers of disadvantaged people into jobs. We building on their success and providing extra help for those facing the greatest disadvantages in the labour market.

Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses were established under the New Deal self-employment model for (a) young people, (b) 25 plus and (c) lone parents in each year since its creation; and how many of those businesses were still trading after (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) three years, (iv) four years and (v) five years and above, from the end of the third stage of test trading. [93409]

Mr. Nicholas Brown:
The information requested is not available. However, we do record the number of people who move into sustained employment of 13 weeks or more following test trading under the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus. This information is in the tables. Equivalent information is not available for the New Deal for Lone Parents.

New deal for young people

Left new deal for sustained employment following test trading(24)

April 1998 to December 2000

1,000

January to December 2001

450

January to September 2002

220

Total

1,680

New deal 25 plus(25)

Left new deal for sustained employment following test trading(24)

April to December 2001

30

January to December 2002

410

Total

440

(24) Figures include people who moved into sustained employment as employees following test trading.

(25) New deal 25 plus did not have a self-employed option until it was enhanced in April 2001.

Note:

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

Labour Market System and New Deal Evaluation Database

Asbestos

Mr. Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) expert advisers and (b) scientists consulted by (i) his Department and (ii) the Health and Safety Executive in connection with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; and if he will list the qualifications and experience in relation to asbestos of each such adviser and scientist. [98659]

Mr. Nicholas Brown:
The general policy underlying the new duty to manage asbestos was informed by considerable research evidence. Annexe I of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) sets out a list of

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all the other external and HSE research reviewed in 2001 on the levels of exposure to asbestos that could be caused by maintenance work.

The RIA is available in the Library.

Weekly Earnings Disregard

Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the weekly earnings disregard for incapacity and invalidity benefit (a) was introduced and (b) has subsequently been amended; at what level it stands in real terms compared with that of the time of introduction; and what plans he has to review the level of the disregard. [101726]

Mr. Nicholas Brown:
Weekly earnings disregards are not a feature of incapacity benefit (IB). Entitlement is based primarily on a person's national insurance contribution record, and generally no account is taken of any income that a person may have.

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There has, however, always been provision within the rules governing incapacity benefit and its predecessors for people wishing to undertake some work for therapeutic purposes.

We modernised the rules governing therapeutic work from April 2002, giving people greater freedom to try out work without fear of losing their benefit. For the first time, people claiming IB can work for up to and including £20 a week for an unlimited period. In addition, a person may work for less than 16 hours a week and earn up to and including £67.50 from a week for 26 weeks. This can be extended for a further 26 weeks where a job broker, disability employment advisor, or personal adviser supports the extension.

The earnings limit is regularly uprated to keep pace with the national minimum wage, and has increased from £48 per week in 1998 to its current limit. We have no plans to change these arrangements at present.